Lonely Planet’s Singapore is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Sample the legendary hawker food, explore the breathtaking National Gallery Singapore, and stand under trees with orang-utans over your head in the open-air enclosures at Singapore Zoo; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Singapore and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet’s Singapore Travel
Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak
Top experiences feature - a visually inspiring collection of [destination’s] best experiences and where to have them
What's new feature taps into cultural trends and helps you find fresh ideas and cool new areas
NEW Accommodation feature gathers all the information you need to plan your accommodation
NEW Where to Stay in Singapore map is your at-a-glance guide to accommodation options in each neighbourhood
Improved planning tools for family travellers - where to go, how to save money, plus fun stuff just for kids
Colour maps and images throughout
Highlightsand itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential infoat your fingertips - hours of operation, websites, transit tips, prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics
Over13 maps
Covers Colonial District, Marina Bay, the Quays, Chinatown, Tanjong Pagar, the CBD, Little India, Kampong Glam, Orchard Road, Holland Village, Dempsey Hill, the Botanic Gardens and Sentosa Island
The Perfect Lonely Planet’s Singapore, our most comprehensive guide to Singapore, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.
Looking for just the highlights? Check out Pocket Singapore, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.
About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day.
A physical guide? Very old school, said someone to me when I whipped it out to consult while on vacation in Singapore. Which begs the question are they still useful in this day and age of easy access to all things on this planet via the internet via the device of our choice that we carry around and peer at constantly. In these travellers' case, the answer is an emphatic yes. I decided that my wife and I were not going to get international roaming on our phones and were going to do our best to explore with the assistance of this guide and see what happens.
Prior to leaving, I used the guide to set a loose itinerary with 2 days set aside for the Singapore Sevens, a sports event we were attending. Included in the guide was a pull-out map that only covered the central area of Singapore as well as an index to major roads, a transport system map, a top sights guide and a very small map of the entire island. I ultimately left this behind each day and used a far better map found at Changi Airport when we arrived. Based on the loose itinerary, the guide turned out to be more than useful in the end. Its descriptions of the various neighbourhoods to visit were very good and of the small to longer walks suggested for each we used 2 and found them fantastic. Our hotel was right next to Kampong Glam so this lead to easy access from there to Little India and at least 3 walks that the guide suggested.
Lonely Planet also wrote of a couple of places we may not have found but were glad to have, The Battle Box at Fort Canning Park and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in China Town for example. Of the top sites recommended by Lonely Planet we made 7 of the 10 with the National Art Gallery, in my opinion an absolute must for those that like art. I would also suggest that the Botanic Gardens are also a must, a gorgeous place that deserves its world Heritage listing. The least impressive for me was Sentosa Island but that is not my style of place to visit, though I get why it would be included.
Near the back there are 20 pages that cover such things as Singapore Today with a bit of history, a short discussion on its people and cultures, architecture and the many languages spoken that was very useful. This is followed by The Survival Guide, also very useful as it covers everything from public transport to small district maps. The transport system is easily one of the best and cheapest we have ever used anywhere. Our home town of Brisbane has to have a serious look at Singapore considering it is holding an Olympics in the not so distant future, and as to how its public transport will cope with that huge event I have no idea.
If going to Singapore, I would suggest a minimum of 4 full days, there is a lot to pack in. And I would pack this guide in your luggage if you wish to get that pesky phone out of your hands and face. And beware the humidity, phew!
I've been curious about Singapore for a longer while and thought Lonely Planet will give me some general overview. It did and it also made me want to go there even more. Singapore seems like an alien planet - fascinating and incredible. Hopefully, one day, I will see it for myself.
It is probably the best in the market but it still lacks many good suggestions. A solid 3.5, I rounded down for not recommending more areas like Torang Bahru
This book did a great job of giving an overview of what is worth seeing in Singapore! Would have loved more context on the recommendations but overall found this helpful.